Armed Clashes Continue in Lebanon's Palestinian Refugee Camp

On Tuesday, clashes erupted again in southern Lebanon's Ain Al-Helweh refugee camp, hosting largely Palestinians, despite a cease-fire reached between rival factions late Monday.

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Some sniper bullets and shells crossed the outskirts of the camp into the nearby neighborhoods in Sidon city, and a "B7" shell exploded near a point where several photographers and media staff were stationed. No injuries were recorded.

Many Lebanese soldiers were deployed in the area. Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi stressed that "the army is carrying out all its duties in this region, as in others, despite all the difficult circumstances."

The armed clashes between members of the Fatah Movement and Islamic militants in the refugee camp broke out Saturday night, which had resulted in 11 deaths and over 40 injuries as of Monday.

Clashes between rival Palestinian groups often occur in the Ain Al-Helweh camp, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.

"Women with children in their arms, the elderly and young people run along one of the roads leading out of the Ain el Helu refugee camp. They take cover in the corner mosque amid the roar of artillery that resounds in the Lebanese city of Sidon for the fourth consecutive day," the EFE news agency reported.

"Volunteers dressed in vests from different organizations shout and gesture for several dozen civilians to stick to the front of the mosque, while the nearby sound of gunshots intensifies and the boom of heavy weapons becomes even more frequent," it added.

The fighting takes place amid a tourist renaissance in Lebanon, which this year expects to receive several million visitors during the summer season and put an end to the bad streak that the sector has suffered since the start of a serious economic crisis at the end of 2019.